Written Answers

Tuesday, 21st October 1997.

World Trade Organisation

Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Clinton-Davis on 31 July 1997 (WA 97), whether the human rights record of potential new member countries is taken into account in deciding whether the country should be admitted to the World Trade Organisation.

The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Clinton-Davis): World Trade Organisation (WTO) accession negotiations involve applicant countries agreeing to abide by WTO rules and making commitments on market access. WTO negotiations do not cover the human rights records of applicant countries. The decision whether to admit a new member is taken by the general council of the WTO.

WHO Director-General: Appointment Criteria

Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:

What job description and criteria for selection will be agreed by member states before arrangements are put in place to appoint the next Director-General of the World Health Organisation.

The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington): The Director-General of the World Health Organisation is responsible for implementation of WHO policy although there is no formal job description for this post. In 1996 member states at the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution identifying the following criteria which candidates for the director general post are expected to meet:

(1) a strong technical and public health background and extensive experience in international health;

(2) competency in organisational management;

(3) proven historical evidence for public health leadership;

(4) sensitiveness to cultural, social and political leadership;

(5) a strong commitment to the work of WHO;

(6) the good physical condition required of all staff members of the organisation; and

(7) sufficient skills in at least one of the official and working languages of the executive board and health assembly.

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GPs: Lesbian Patients

Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether a general practitioner is legally entitled to refuse to register a prospective patient because she is a lesbian.

Baroness Jay of Paddington: General practitioners' terms of service give the doctor the discretion to agree whether to accept a person, if eligible, on to his or her list. Health authorities have powers to assign patients to a GP if they have difficulty in registering. GPs are fully aware of guidance issued by the General Medical Council in May 1992, which made it clear that it is unacceptable to discriminate against patients on the grounds of their age, sex, sexuality, race, colour, beliefs, perceived economic worth or the amount of work they are likely to generate by virtue of their clinical condition.

Animal Procedures Committee

Lord Rea asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they will publish their response to the Animal Procedures Committee interim report on
the operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn): My right honourable friend the Home Secretary's response and the interim report itself are being laid before Parliament today, appended to the annual report of the Animal Procedures Committee.

The Government are grateful to the committee for having initiated a far-reaching and thoughtful review of the operation of the 1986 Act, based on the views submitted as part of a wide consultation of interested parties. Thirteen recommendations are made at this stage and the Government have accepted all of them.

We have already strengthened the Home Office Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate. Three new inspectors have been appointed and additional funding found for this and the following financial years. We will alert the management of establishments designated under the Act to the requirement for structures, advice and systems to enforce the provisions and conditions attached to authorities granted by the Secretary of State. This includes the need for training and updated guidance.

We are appraising several aspects of the operation of the 1986 Act and the committee's recommendations are therefore timely and useful. Like the committee, the Government want to see much greater emphasis on the development and use of alternatives to animal procedures. We will be exploring this issue as we work to ensuring the highest possible welfare standards with our European colleagues.

It is recognised that the review will continue to be a major task of the committee in the coming months. We welcome proposals that aspects of the working of the Act be made more transparent and, in this respect, we

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particularly welcome the planned statement on the cost-benefit assessment. This is part of the evaluation of every application which takes place before the Secretary of State determines whether and on what terms protected animals may be used in scientific procedures.

Asylum Seekers

The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:

To what factors they attribute the rise of genuine asylum seekers in the United Kingdom in proportion to the total number of decisions made in each of the years 1994, 1995 and 1996.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The number of people recognised as refugees and granted asylum in the United Kingdom in 1994, 1995 and 1996, and the corresponding figures for grants of asylum as a proportion of total decisions taken in each year, are shown in the table below:

Year

Number of asylum grants

Asylum grants as a percentage of all decisions (per cent.)

1994

825

4

1995

1,295

5

1996

2,240

6

The increase year on year in the proportion of persons granted asylum is attributable almost entirely to the increase during the period in the number of grants of asylum to persons from the Former Yugoslavia, which for each of the years 1994-1996 was as shown in the table below.

Year

Number of grants of asylum to persons from Former Yugoslavia

1994

25

1995

285

1996

1,155

Prisons: Receptions of Non-Criminal Prisoners

Lord Henderson of Brompton asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many people were imprisoned for non-payment of local government taxes in 1996.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The available information relates to non-payment of rates and the community charge/council tax and is given below. This information is also published in Prison Statistics, England and Wales (table 6.2 of the 1996 edition,
Cm 3732), a copy of which is in the Library.

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Receptions of non-criminal prisoners into prisons in England and Wales in 1996

Committed for non-payment of:

Number

Rates

22

Community charge/Council tax

459

Prisons: Receptions of Fine Defaulters

Lord Henderson of Brompton asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many male and female prisoners respectively were received into prison for fine defaults in 1996, and how many of these had originally been convicted of motoring offences, theft and handling, soliciting and non-payment of television licence fees respectively.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The information requested is given below. Information on fine defaulters is also published in Prison Statistics, England and Wales (table 7.2 of the 1996 edition, Cm 3732), a copy of which is in the Library.

Receptions of fine defaulters into prisons in England and Wales in 1996

Offence

Males

Females

Motoring offences

2,976

93

Theft and handling

1,076

59

Soliciting

--

7

Using a television without a licence

238

89

All receptions in 1996

8,094

461

Prisons: Receptions under Sentence

Lord Henderson of Brompton asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many sentenced offenders (a) including fine defaulters and (b) excluding fine defaulters were received into prison in 1996, and of these how many had committed offences involving violence, sex, robbery and drug trafficking.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The information requested is given below:

Receptions under sentence into prisons in England and Wales in 1996

Offence

Sentenced receptions

Fine defaulters

Total

Violence against the person

10,529

475

11,004

Sexual offences

2,473

12

2,485

Robbery

3,675

9

3,684

Drugs

6,100

239

6,339

Production

133

3

136

Supply

1,793

9

1,802

Unlawful import/export

872

4

876

Possession with intent

2,285

18

2,303

Possession

966

196

1,162

Other drugs offences

51

9

60

All receptions

74,306

8,555

82,861

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Prisons: Population and Receptions under Sentence

Lord Henderson of Brompton asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proportion of sentenced prisoners entering prison in 1996, and what proportion of those given sentences of six months or less, were imprisoned for fine default; and

What proportion of the average daily population of sentenced prisoners in 1996, and what proportion of those serving sentences of six months or less, were serving sentences for fine default.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The available information is published in Prison Statistics, England and Wales (table 7.1 of the 1996 edition, Cm 3732), a copy of which is in the Library. For ease of reference, the information requested is given below:

Population and receptions under sentence into prisons in England and Wales in 1996

Population on 30 June 1996

Receptions in 1996

Total sentenced prisoners

43,055

82,861

Fine defaulters as a percentage of total sentenced prisoners

0.3

10.3

Prisoners serving sentences of imprisonment of six months or less

4,723

47,507

Fine defaulters as a percentage of prisoners serving sentences of imprisonment of six months or less